Arthritis pain featured at osteoarthritis workshop

The height of my visit to Chicago in early May was not my trip to the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. It was being part of the Segal North American Osteoarthritis Workshop (SNOW), which focused on creating a world free of arthritis pain. Over the course of the weekend, a great deal of discussion occurred about treatments that considered the whole of the arthritis patient and their needs.

It was the presentation from arthritis consumers that opened this stimulating two-day conference. Louise Crane, a Canadian consumer, relayed consumer issues surrounding arthritis pain and her expectations for the workshop. She also highlighted the perspective of Aboriginals with arthritis. Louise shared an alarming statistic - Aboriginals suffer from osteoarthritis at rates of 2-3 times higher than non-Aboriginals. There was also great interest in how arthritis consumers play a role– beyond that of a research subject – in arthritis research decision-making through the Consumer Advisory Council of the Canadian Arthritis Network.

The next day opened with Canadian researchers discussing their research into the nature of osteoarthritis pain. Dr. Gillian Hawker of the University of Toronto presented a newly developed Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) for osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Consumer collaborators from across Canada have been extensively involved in the development of this new tool. Pain assessment tools, such as this, can assist people with arthritis in tracking their pain over time. This type of information can then be used when discussing their arthritis with their doctor.

Dr. Petra Schweinhardt of McGill University presented her findings that chronic pain is a disease in its own right. Her work at the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain highlighted the role of distraction in reducing pain, and that pain can be worsened by a negative mood. She highlighted how the link between psychology and biology has not yet been properly explored in research.

Osteoarthritis is known as a type of arthritis caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the joint. It is not categorized as inflammatory arthritis, which involves the immune system. Many researchers are investigating the role of inflammation in osteoarthritis and the use of current medications in its treatment.

The agenda of the SNOW meeting was action-packed and the presentations stimulating. I thank the Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) for providing me and other consumers with the opportunity to attend this amazing meeting. I’m sure next year’s conference will take the research of OA pain to new heights.